The rapid increase in data storage and high bandwidth communication driven by Internet expansion is increasing the need for dense interconnection systems in data centers. These data centers are typically composed of rows of racks of servers. These servers need to be in high-bandwidth communication with other servers in the data centers. The high-bandwidth communication can be supported by either shielded electrical cables or increasingly active optical cables. Active optical cables support longer transmission distances and higher transmission bandwidths. An active optical cable typically has an optical engine incorporated into a transceiver on at least one end of the cable. The optical engine transforms electrical signals into optical signals (transmission [Tx] function), and transforms optical signals into electrical signals (receiver [Rx] function). An electronics rack can have hundreds or even thousands of interconnections, each of which generating heat that must be removed from the electronics rack. The inability to remove this heat can result in accelerated aging and/or premature failure of the interconnection of other components in the electronics rack. Therefore, there is a need to provide a cooling system in high speed communication devices that facilitates high-heat removal and dense packaging of the interconnections.